1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the containment of fuel in motor vehicles and, more particularly, to a fuel tank cap that can be used with a multiplicity of models of motor vehicles.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
With the proliferation of vehicle models, especially automobiles and trucks, a multiplicity of caps have been used to close and seal the filler tube of the vehicle fuel tank. This multiplicity of caps has resulted in difficulty in replacing a fuel tank cap that has been lost or damaged. Vehicle parts suppliers generally maintain an inventory of caps having a high demand, but, except for very large outlets, maintaining a complete inventory of caps for fuel tank filler tubes for both current and for discontinued models is generally uneconomical. Frequently, the vehicle distributor network can provide all of the the cap(s) for the vehicles supplied by the parent company. However, the local distributorship may not be easily accessible and may not maintain an inventory of fuel caps for vehicles no longer manufactured by the parent organization.
In the related art, attempts has been made to provide a fuel cap that would useful for a plurality of fuel filler tubes. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,006,747 by Ritz-Woller, an expandable member is disclosed that can engage the flange at the opening of the fuel tank filler tube. The cap disclosed by this reference is removed by applying pressure to the outer portion of the cap. It will be clear that an impact of sufficient force or a increase in the internal pressure of the tank, such as can be caused by a heating of contained fuel, may cause the cap to be forced out of the filler tube. In addition, the effectiveness of the fuel tank cap of this invention is compromised where the filler tube does not have a rim.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,025 by Bowden et al. describes a breather cap that is coupled to a tube by means of a spring element 52 of FIG. 2 of that reference. The spring element, as described in detail in the reference, provides for a secure coupling to the tube, but the spring element will not couple to a wide variety of tube diameters nor is the specific structure described reflected in the structure of the instant invention.
A need has therefore been felt for a cap for a fuel tank filler tube that is economical, that can be used with a multiplicity of filler tube types and diameters and that generally requires a positive action by a user to remove the cap from the filler tube.